Is Casey stuck in dreamland??

From the Toronto Sun:

Lowry almost single-handedly got the Raptors the win in the second half Wednesday, scoring 29 of his team-high 34 points. Casey believes that would not have been possible without Bargnani on the floor occupying one of the Kings' bigs, thereby freeing up lanes for Lowry to do his damage.

So Casey is basically putting the blame on Big V and beleives that Bargnani is the reason why Lowry went off in the second half. Is this the proof that hes just Collangelos puppet? Or just some really bad coaching? The only time I honestly beleived that the raps were in it at all was before Bargnani came in to replace Ed Davis.

I understand his belief of bringing Big V off the bench in favor of Amir due to his defensive liability (which will get better with time), but his failure to ever put ANY blame on Bargnani is horrible. I get a feeling that Lowry will eventually have some negative run in with him.

Was Wade not able to drive when he had Shaq in the paint? Or how about Kobe with Bynum and Gasol? Or how about Jordan with Longley and Rodman?

Bigs that create space for others is a myth. With the proper coaching you could clear up the paint for a wing/guard to drive to the rim even if you don't have a stretch 4.

But that would require a coach being able to draw up effective offensive plays... not exactly Casey's strength. Half the time I watch this team and wonder if there's any offensive play being called at all.

But that would require a coach being able to draw up effective offensive plays... not exactly Casey's strength. Half the time I watch this team and wonder if there's any offensive play being called at all.

Unfortunately I agree.. I don't think Casey knows how to run a proper offensive play.

from what i seen in that game Lowry was scoring like a beast WAY before Bargs checked back in late in the 4th..if DC really thinks it was Bargs that made Lowry go off then he is blind or stupid...i have alot of respect for DC but he is making me reconsider that now!

But that would require a coach being able to draw up effective offensive plays... not exactly Casey's strength. Half the time I watch this team and wonder if there's any offensive play being called at all.

Agreed on caoching aspect and comparing Lowry to Wade and Kobe is even further of a gap then comparing Andrea to Dirk and we know how far apart that comparision is. Wade and Kobe have the ability to finish above the rim. Lowry can finish but not in as many varieties as those two so the added space certainly helps.

Was Wade not able to drive when he had Shaq in the paint? Or how about Kobe with Bynum and Gasol? Or how about Jordan with Longley and Rodman?

Bigs that create space for others is a myth. With the proper coaching you could clear up the paint for a wing/guard to drive to the rim even if you don't have a stretch 4.

I wouldn't say it's completely a myth. It's as simple as saying that since the opposing big man was told by his coach that his check can shoot and will shoot, he will most definitely be farther out of the key and closer to the 3-point line where Bargnani lives.

This physically creates more room. Even opening up an opportunity for a kickout if the big was to to step in. But as we all know, Bargnani has been just awful from the 3 point line this season, and any attempt to take advantage of this has not been successful.

now that james johnson is gone there is no one to steal casey's stash. He can now roll a big blunt before games and get high as fuck, no other way I can explain poor decision after poor decision. Meanwhile johnson has cleaned up his act, even got a new pair of glasses that make him look like that fat kid I used to beat up at school. (ok I lied I was that fat kid...)

from what i seen in that game Lowry was scoring like a beast WAY before Bargs checked back in late in the 4th..if DC really thinks it was Bargs that made Lowry go off then he is blind or stupid...i have alot of respect for DC but he is making me reconsider that now!

ED was starting to suck wind after 10 minutes on the floor, as evidenced by 2 fouls in 36 seconds against rookie Robinson. In the 7 minutes after that switch was made, Lowry scored 11 of his 34 points. There are other things that didn't work (AB's shooting, Lowry's defense), but that part of the equation did, especially if you watched actual play, period.

Agreed on caoching aspect and comparing Lowry to Wade and Kobe is even further of a gap then comparing Andrea to Dirk and we know how far apart that comparision is. Wade and Kobe have the ability to finish above the rim. Lowry can finish but not in as many varieties as those two so the added space certainly helps.

I've been more frustrated with the offense than the defense.

Defensively we've seen Calderon playing starters minutes, Bargnani & DeRozan playing heavy starters minutes and Valanciunas playing part time (but with the starters to start the game). That's 2 horrible defenders (Calderon & DeRozan), 1 horrible help defender (Bargnani) and 1 undersized rookie (Valanciunas) being counted on to play consistently good defense. Plus, the starting unit has much less chemistry as a group, with the addition of Valanciunas and Lowry, which could explain the slow starts and huge points given up in the 1st quarter. To me, it's little surprise that the defense has regressed thus far this season.

Offensively, I hoped the added focus by the coaching staff, the addition of Lowry, a consistent/healthy Bargnani and an improved DeRozan would have lead to a significant improvement. I've been incredibly disappointed. Bargnani has returned to old form, DeRozan still has no outside shot and can't finish at the rim (and gets no help from the refs), Lowry is looking like a more skilled version of Bayless, the C position is a revolving door (Valanciunas is a rookie, Amir has fallen too in love with his outside shot and Davis isn't getting enough playing time) and the SF position has been a black hole. The bottom line is that our top-3 offensive players (Lowry, DeRozan, Bargnani) are all incredibly inefficient shooters who are lucky to shoot 50% any given night, while taking over half of the team's shots. Who can blame them when the other two spots on the floor have seen extremely poor/inconsistent production?

Offensively, Bargnani, Lowry and DeRozan all need to tighten their game up and it would be nice to get something decent (I'd settle for consistency) out of the C & SF spots. However, the biggest chunk of the responsibility for both the offensive and defensive struggles ultimately fall on Casey.